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Sunday, April 20, 2014

CSA President Walt Natynczyk Pops-up and Looks Around

Nine months after formally stepping into the role of Canadian Space Agency (CSA) president in August 2013, retired Canadian Forces (CF) Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) General Walt Natynczyk has finally begun providing details on the direction he's been tasked to take the agency. But the media response to this new openness suggests that there are many questions still to be addressed.

International relations might not be the only external constraint on CSA activities. There might also be budget concerns.

For example, the April 15th, 2014 QMI article "Canada to focus on payloads, not rockets, says space boss" quoted Natynczyk as stating that it's cheaper to rent rocket rides from corporations or other space agencies rather than start a launch program from scratch and that "the CSA's budget isn't the only federal money that can be used for extra-terrestrial projects."

The article also quoted Natynczyk's boss, Industry Minister Moore, who said that the CSA has "more than enough money to move forward," but the overall focus of the article on CSA budget concerns suggests that there are those who doubt the official statements in this matter.

The man behind "The General." Industry Minister James Moore watches as a robotic arm performs a demonstration at the official opening of Dynamic Structures Ltd.'s expanded facility in Port Coquitlam, BC in September 2013. Dynamic has been involved in the design and construction of most of the world's largest observatories. Photo c/o Richard Lam.

1 comment:

1. Tensions with Russia will affect everything across the board as it involves contacts at all levels, business and scientific. It is posturing to say it will not especially with sanctions against the Russian economy in the works. Putin does not need ISS but it provides him with two interesting situations: it does make a great margin on the cost per seat for a ride to it and it demonstrates declining US capability as they have no way to access it. For Canada, it was/is a costly 15 minutes of fame in the media universe.

The larger question is what does ISS involvement actually provide to Canada based on our investment in it.

2. Cheaper to rent rockets? This has become a catch-all summary that is never backed up by any detailed explanation of how those few words summarize a set of complex size/technology options. Yes, in some scenarios, but more importantly is it in Canada's national interest-politically, economically (business) and scientifically- to develop the capability to access space independent of these "cheap" rides? Of course, "cheap" means indefinite launch schedule, indefinite priority to be on the vehicle as a secondary, significantly delayed use of what the payload was suppose to provide and so on. The other major question is what does that "cheap" rental bring to Canada in terms of investing the very meager tax dollars we have. Like all renters, nothing, its money tossed away.

3. Canadian militarization of space? The Army cannot afford new vehicles. This is some kind of false media ego boost for Canadians (?), to make us feel like we like the Big Players (?). We can barely militarize ourselves on the ground and we have no access to space. No, the balloon program is not a space program.

4. By stating CSA has all the money it needs, Natnczyk is there to maintain the status quo. For Canadians, the question should be asked whether under spending is worth spending at all.